By Lotus Xuelian Chen
The Oriental Morning Post, 03/09/2013
[The Interviewee]
Basharat Peer, (born 1977) is a Kashmiri journalist and script writer hailing from Kashmir. He is also an author and political commentator.
Peer was born in Seer, Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. He studied Political Science at Aligarh Muslim University and Journalism at Columbia University. Basharat Peer's father is a retired officer of the Kashmir Administrative Services. Basharat Peer is married to Ananya Vajpeyi, an academician.
He started his career as a reporter at Rediff and Tehelka. During the initial days of his career he was based in Delhi. He has worked as an Assistant Editor at Foreign Affairs and was a Fellow at Open Society Institute, New York. He has written extensively on South Asian politics for Granta, the Guardian, FT Magazine, The New Yorker, The National and The Caravan.
He is the author of Curfewed Night: A Frontline Memoir of Life, Love and War in Kashmir, which won the Crossword Prize for Non-Fiction and was chosen among the Books of the Year by The Economist and The New Yorker.
New Delhi, March 9th,2013(the Oriental Morning Post) – During the week when I was visiting India controlled Kashmir, the book next to my pillow was Kashmir writer Basharat Peer’s Curfewed Night. It took quite a bit of maneuvering before I finally made contact with Peer, who had been travelling around to collect information for his next book. Upon his return from Assam, we finally met at Turtle Café, where people of literary and art circles in New Delhi are regulars.
Naturally, our conversations focused on his debut non-fiction Curfewed Night(published in 2011 by Harper Press), which is an eyewitness account of the Kashmir conflict in 1990s, telling the true story of locals and giving a good feel for what it was to grow up in rural Kashmir, and the fear, the pain, and the injustice of it all.
Brave Peer visited the most dangerous border areas in Kashmir to interview locals, including armed extremists secretly supported by Pakistan government. Peer found that local Kashmiris unusually sealed their windows with blankets in case soldiers and militants come to search their houses or lodge when they saw the lights. Peer also visited the notorious prison BaBa No.2 and those released “prisoners” who were once interrogated and tortured. Some of them even become infertile thus they cannot get married and can neither have children. “Only devout faith can strongly support those who endured wound to continue their life.” Peer wrote.
To ensure an objective and balanced perspective, journalist-turned writer Basharat Peer also has volumes written about so-called Kashmiris’ opposite—Indian soldiers. Peer found a friend who once served for Indian army force. He told Peer that “Hindu Soldiers are the poorest people at the bottom of Indian society, they come to serve in the most dangerous area, but only get the lowest income.”
Whenever he saw soldiers stop natives to frisk them and check identification papers at his hometown, Peer cannot help tears from falling down. While he was writing Curfewed Night, he had to pause for hundreds of times because he felt frustrated by the miserable and depressed stories he collected. Fortunately, he was encouraged by his friends, adding “If you want to write about Kashmir, you have to face the cruel reality fearlessly.”
Peer currently is a freelancer after quitting working for New York Times. Peer is also a scriptwriter along with Vishal Bhardwaj for the screenplay of the Bollywood film Haider (2014)，an adaptation of Hamlet set in mid-1990s Kashmir, which tells the story of a Kashmir family in the background of a political conflict. Bollywood stars Irfan Khan and Tabu acted as the leading roles in it. Peer also had a special appearance in the film. Chatting with Peer is so much fun. To my surprise, we know many mutual friends in New Delhi. For example, both of us met American journalist turned writer Peter Hessler at 2013 Jaipur International Literary Festival. What Peer likes about Peter Hessler ’s books on China is that “He respects China and Chinese people a lot. When a lot of western journalists write about a new culture, they tend to write about how strange
people are and how different they are from us.” “Peter speaks Chinese well. He has that culture understanding and respects different ways of life, and he notices the cultural differences between east and west.” Peer added.
Peer also shares his experience and wisdom as a journalist. “Delhi is like a club. If you are an outsider, the door is closed. If you know a member of the club who takes you in and introduces you, then everyone knows you.”
“My Parents do Not Know I am Writing My First Book”
Q: I am sorry that my first question is related to your uncle who has expired recently. Do you often go back to Kashmir whenever your close relatives passed away? How do your father and uncles influence you?
A: Always. When I am in US, I go back twice a year. I’ve worked in New Delhi for New York Times since one and a half year ago, I go back every month now.
I grew up in a family where you learn about your history, who you are and what is your story. You learn from your family your tradition and culture; it is very serious impact.
When I start to write my first book “Curfewed night”, my family do not know. As you know, if you are a writer ,you do not make much of money, and you do not know the chances whether you can get the book published. Eight months ago, I quit my job and focused on writing my book, I did not have money to pay the rent, so I lived with my father.
Q: Identity is the most powerful mobilizing force in history. For Kashmiris, identity dissipates because India, and Pakistan, the militants and by its own politicians who have failed to work out a compromise. What in your opinion is the identity of Kashmiris? Is it also threatened by modern technology and western lifestyle?
A: The identity of Kashmir is defined by India, Indian government and also their problems with Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan claim that Kashmir belong to them, but we say we do not belong to either India or Pakistan, but ourselves.
Yes, I worry about it, but modern technology and lifestyle also shape identity. Like everywhere now, if you look at young people in China, they all wear jeans, and T-Shirt, eat Burgs, go to UK and USA universities. The world is interconnected now, if you do not wear traditional Chinese clothes, it does not mean you are not Chinese. In fact, it makes you more conscious when you look at the world with Internet and the conversation between east and west, so modern technology sometimes reconfirms your identity and make your identity much stronger. You also find ways to express yourself to larger audience in the world through Internet and modern technology. It works in two ways.
“Few Books in the World are About Kashmir”
Q: How do you view the current political dispensation in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir?
A: The government in Kashmir is combined by two parts ,one is the Congress Party which rules at the center, the other is Omar Abdullah-led National Conference .We do not like Omar because he does not care about people ,he is completely disconnected from the population .When you do not have connection with population, then it shows anything that happens in Kashmir and anything he does go astray .
Q: Is Pakistan-controlled Kashmir independent possible?
Everything is possible. It is difficult, but there is a time when everyone thought that the Cold War would never end .There is a time when China was fighting Japanese and losing the worse, and it was very poor then, but now it is a great power in the world and second biggest market. When you look at the history, the world changes completely. For example, in the sixteen century, when India and China are two big power, England is a village with nothing there, and New York does not exist. Yes, it may take time, but who knows what future may look like. I know big change takes time, but everything is possible when you look at history.
Q: I felt so sad when I visited Kashmir last month, I saw many soldiers with guns on the streets and loads of military force transported by trucks, and I was tapped and monitored by local police.
A: Of course, everyone. Indian government does rule Kashmir only because of the military. Without military ,Kashmir will be a free country one day. We are controlled by India, not because we like Indian government, but because the military. The United Nation’s resolution on Kashmir does not work, which is a truth.
Q: What do Kashmiri people pursue? What kind of independence do they need?
A: They want to be fully independent, to be free as any people in the world want to be. They do not want to be ruled by either India or Pakistan, they just want to live their own life. Whether you are rich or poor ,you do not want soldiers to come to your house to kick you around.
There is not much hope of international help. Because the world is so connected in terms of markets or geopolitics. Nobody cares about Kashmir, the world’s two power that matter--America and China do not say anything on Kashmir. They are both busy with their things. I think China should talk about the Aksai Chin, which is a place Pakistan gives it to China. China is an important power in the neighborhood. This is a long- term dispute which should bring to a resolution. But it is China style of diplomacy, China does not innerve and talk about other country’s problem.
“Ensure Better Dignity to People”
Q: I guess Kashmir can only develop its economy until the political problem is solved, right? Do you have any good suggestion for how to build a better Kashmir?
A: Most of resources are spent on maintaining military presence, and then when you have the problem of killings, protests of killings, so the focus never come to economy. Current local government could have done something such as setting universities and colleges, industries, and infrastructure. If you walk into a hospital in Kashmir, it is terrible, in such a bad shape. You can set up ID information technology centers, but nothing much has been done. In villages, you still do not have electricity for hours in the winter. When I go to my grandpa’s village, there is even no electricity at all, but in China, even in a village, there is good infrastructure.
I think, to build a better Kashmir, government should remove this very aggressive military laws, remove soldiers from civilian area to borders, ensure better dignity to people, which is the first thing needs to be done, everything will follow after that.
Q: Is there any misunderstanding when international society talk about Kashmir?
A: They just don not talk about it (lol). Because no one cares about Kashmir, that is why I accept your interview, that is why I write Curfewed Night which I hope it can be translated into different language and read by people all cross world. It happens actually which is really nice.
Q: How do you think of the attacks by Uygur in Kun Ming railway station which happened recently? (This part is deleted due to its sensitivity. The part of Kashmir toward Pakistan ’s mixing feeling, is also deleted.) A: I do not know it. It is terrible. I would not support any killing. There are many killings in Kashmir, I do not support any killing of civilians who are going to school or watching a movie. You cannot kill ordinary people.
“My Next Book is on Indian Minorities”
Q: How is your life in New York? New York is so different from Kashmir, especially at night. How do u balance between your Kashmir Identity and American civilian?
A: I went to study Journalism at Columbia University in New York. We have classmates from all over world, one of my Chinese classmates who is interested in artists and we are very good friends. Then I got a job there and lived there, and then I published a book there.
When you go to a new world, there are new words, new culture you have to learn, and I think I learn it quickly. I move between two worlds quite quickly. Living in this world as a writer is also about travelling between two cultures and different ways of life. That is the sense to live the times today.
Q: How is the book you are writing now?
A: It is about religious politics and equal citizenship and the aftermath of the Partition of India and Pakistan. In India, all the people no matter the minorities and majorities should share the equal civic rights.
I will have interviews with minorities in different states in India, such as people in Assam. I will try to know about discrimination against them in this so-called “the biggest democracy in the world”.
Q: What are you writing about Assam? As minority in India, how do you think of their identity and situation?
A: India talks about developing Assam, in northeast part of India, but there are lots of corruption, it is very terrible there, like the border area near Burma and China, which however is developed a lot from what I heard about.It takes time. This is like the last frontier. But they need to put more energy to develop there. You know, there is racial discrimination against students from northeast in cities. They are not treated very well. There is a Northeastern student recently killed. This attitude needs to be changed.(The End)
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